October seems to be flying by, the days are getting cooler, the nights getting longer but there are still plenty of flowers shining in the garden. Gales have made rather a mess of some plants and the garden in general, but even so, it is still worth a wander round just to see what there is. This first one is Fuchsia Genii which I forgot to include in my post about Fuchsias, they are all still flowering madly.
Clematis Pagoda is still hanging in there and putting out a few new flowers. It makes a difference that the frost a few nights ago missed our garden but others a few miles away but lower down in a valley, were completely covered in white.
Chives are still determined to flower, during the summer they get used to decorate salads, but hot food needed now that the temperature has dropped.
Angelica gigas is now just finishing, the flowers are a magnet for the bees and the huge leaves have been marvellous in the border all summer.
This must be the last of the foxgloves. The original stem grew to over 8 ft and was then cut back to encourage more flowers, lots of side shoots came and this is the last of them.
Lysimachia ephemerum has been flowering for months now, the clump has spread a lot this year so I think we can split it ready for next year.
Woodland plant, Kirengeshoma palmata is always late to flower in a shady border, lovely yellow bells brighten up a dark corner.
Couldn’t believe it when the Welsh poppy, Meconopsis cambrica, started flowering again.
Late flowering bulbs include Colchicums, which suddenly seem to appear from nowhere, their leaves die down in the early summer and there is no sign of them until now. From just 5 bulbs we now have 4 large areas of these bulbs, they multiply so quickly.
And this is the view of the interior.
Various asters are doing ever so well, flowering for such a long time and feeding any passing bee that still ventures out in the cooler weather.
The common myrtle tree, Myrtus communis, has flowered its socks off this autumn, has been covered in tiny flowers for months now, keeping all the bees happy.
This geranium is a thug!! It was bought as Anne Folkard but I think it is Geranium procurrens. Anne Folkard should have more yellow leaves and be well behaved! I pull all but one plant out each year, but every autumn we have it everywhere in the front border, it puts out such long shoots and roots as soon as it touches the soil. This is one plant that doesn’t get given to friends, they wouldn’t stay friends for long!! Although a few years ago when we had the garden open for the NGS a gentleman asked me for a piece, I reluctantly gave him a few pieces but told him that they came with a health warning, hope he has never regretted it!
A crab spider is lying in wait on Gaillardia Burgundy, hope it isn’t waiting for a passing bee, they are precious!
Lots of roses are still flowering away with loads of flowers, this one is Geoff Hamilton and is still putting out new buds.
The last one for this month is my pampas grass, Cortaderia, I think my variety is ‘ pumilla’ which is a bit smaller than the norm and therefore stands up better to the winds that we have.
By next month I think I will be searching for flowers, especially if frosts arrive in our part of Devon. Living on the side of a hill has its advantages, frost tends to just roll past, down through the village to the stream where gardens nearby do suffer long before ours.
it doesn’t matter Pauline, does it, if you’ll have difficulty finding flowers because you’ll still have wonderful foliage? In the meantime though, you’ve got lots of glorious flowers. Who would have thought that sweet innocent looking geranium could be a thug? It’s so lovely I think I could tolerate its thuggishness, although I suppose I might regret it if it came to it. The photo of the inside of the glowing colchicum is spectacular. This post makes me sigh with pleasure. Sigh – gh – gh!!
Thanks Catmint, you’re right of course, for the next month we will have some super colours to take over from the flowers. The geranium is good at this time of year but if I left each plant where it has rooted, there soon wouldn’t be anything left in the front border, they would be swamped. So glad you like the colchicum!
I love the Lysimachia and they Myrtle, two things you never see in this area.
Jason, the Myrtle should not be happy where I planted it, it was a case of ignorance is bliss. I found that I had planted it over an underground stream but the books say it must have well drained soil. Thank goodness the plants don’t read our books!
Your fuchsia is still looking good. Mine petered out in September, and then of course the frost finished off any stragglers. Your foxglove has been a good performer, if this is round 2 for the blooms. It sounds like the Meconopsis couldn’t resist the peer pressure and had to try for a second round of flowers, too. Your asters are bright and fresh looking. It’s nice to have some new flowers to anticipate in fall. Those are nice flowers on your geranium. It’s a shame that it is too aggressive. I have a couple of plants that I just barely tolerate their behaviour, since they have nice blooms. I’m always on the verge of pulling out all of my Campanula glomerata (clustered bellflower), because it just spreads too much.
The foxglove has been good NS, I think this must be at least round 3 of flowering if not more. I have recently been buying more autumn flowering plants so that at least one border will shine in September, October and maybe with a bit of luck, into November, it will depend on the frost. A friend? gave me Campanula glomerata, I now know why, but at least I can split it in the border I am renovating at the moment, nice flowers though!
Hi Pauline,
We missed the frosts of a few days ago too – think my garden is a little micro climate because next door’s grass looked frosty but mine was fine.
Can’t believe it’s mid October already, soon to be November in a couple of weeks!!! Oh no. I ought to start C shopping (won’t say the word yet).
I’ve got some foxgloves blooming too… Saving the photos for a post later this week, in fact! 😀
Yes Liz, the year is running away from us, have actualy bought the C. cake and pud ingredients, so if it’s raining, then I can always cook! Foxgloves have certainly been fantastic this year, must have enjoyed all the rain. Hope we both stay frost free for a bit longer!
So glad that I have read this post Pauline, as I’ve been able to put my finger on what has disappeared from my garden – lysimachea ephemerum – grown from seed many moons ago. Maybe old age has taken its toll 🙁 I knew that something had disappeared but could not think what it was. Will have to replace it as it a great plant. I did once have geranium procurrens but himself thought it was a weed and duly obliged by pulling it out when it was quite young – just as well perhaps.
Glad to have been of help Anna, hope mine don’t suddenly disappear! I agree with your other half, G. procurrens is almost a weed, but I forgive it at this time of year when it is weaving amongst everything else and showing its lovely flowers, watch out next tidy up, most of it will go!!
Lots of flowers still to admire, Pauline. I like the look of the Kirengeshoma palmata and will look out for it – it sounds like the sort of plant I could get from Constantine nurseries and I must start up a list of ‘wants’ before I forget. Is the Lysimachia well-behaved? I don’t remember your post on fuchsias, so perhaps it was before I found you – are yours mostly hardy? I have some new ones in pots and am hedging my bets so far about when to bring them in – I would certainly like to nurture the ‘Deep Purple’ ones which have been fantastic and are still looking good.
Cathy, some lysimachia run about a lot, but compared to those, ephemerum is well behaved here, the clump just getting larger each year.Hope you find Kirengeshoma palmata, if your nursery doesn’t have it, I got mine from Long Acre Plants. My post which included the fuchsias was 26th September, strangely enough also called ‘ Still Flowering ‘. All my Fuchsias are hardy, they just need cutting to the ground each spring.
Oh Pauline, such beauty in your garden! Lysimachia ephemerum is new to me and so striking. I need to make a point to get foxgloves next year–mine all died out but actually were never as pretty as yours.
Thank you PBM.the last flowers of autumn are very precious. Foxgloves are such pretty flowers in some really nice shades when the bees are allowed to do their work! Have lots more baby ones coming on, must move them to their proper places soon.